Chapter 85: The Kingdom’s Warriors

At this moment, Robin spoke again to Smile, “Would you like to join us, guest?” She had just witnessed Smile’s strength and realized this was not someone to be underestimated, so she extended the invitation.

“No, I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Dr. Buffon,” Smile replied, settling down in a corner with her cane.

Robin didn’t press further. She nodded slightly to Buffon and left the VIP suite.

Just as she stepped outside, a member of Baroque Works hurried over to report that Princess Vivi’s whereabouts had been discovered in the city. Robin followed the agent out of the casino, curious to see what the princess, having managed to get close to Buffon, was planning to do next.

Outside the Rain Dinners casino, she saw dozens of Baroque Works agents surrounding Vivi, preparing to strike. Suddenly, gunfire erupted from above.

An eagle, its wings strapped with machine guns, dove from the sky, unleashing a barrage at the Baroque Works members below.

Vivi, who had been anxiously seeking a way out, shouted with excitement, “Pell!”

“Princess Vivi, it’s been a while!” Pell called, breaking through the crowd and soaring toward her.

Vivi leaped up, hooked her arms around Pell’s neck, and was carried to the rooftop of a nearby building.

The shocked Baroque Works agents finally realized what had happened.

“That’s Pell, Alabasta’s strongest warrior!”

“He’s eaten the Bird-Bird Fruit and can transform into an eagle!”

Pell announced loudly, “Let me show you one of the world’s five renowned Zoan Devil Fruits with special flying abilities.”

With that, Pell vanished into the sky.

The Baroque Works agents snapped out of their daze and fired desperately, but Pell was nowhere to be seen.

Moments later, his figure appeared behind them. He murmured, “Flying Claws!”

In an instant, all the agents collapsed.

From the rooftop, Vivi cheered, “Wonderful! Now I can go find everyone!”

But just then, a discordant female voice sounded behind her, “Princess Vivi, if that’s how you feel, then we have much to discuss.”

Hearing the voice, Vivi turned her head as if moving by clockwork.

“Miss Allsunday! Why are you here? Where are Luffy and the others?”

Before Vivi could answer, Pell, still on the ground, soared toward Robin, shouting, “Princess Vivi, are these the ones sabotaging our country from the shadows? Don’t worry, I won’t let her hurt you!”

“Oh? This is my first time meeting someone who can fly. I wonder how skilled you really are,” Robin replied with a smile.

She crossed her arms over her chest and activated Threefold Bloom.

One of the summoned hands pinned Pell’s sword-drawing talon, while the other two gripped his wings.

With that, Pell crashed face-first onto the rooftop.

Regaining his human form, he refused to yield and lunged at Robin with his sword.

Robin, unfazed, unleashed Sixfold Bloom: Claw Hook. She immobilized Pell’s body and wrenched his head back.

Blood gushed from his throat as Pell collapsed, unconscious.

“How could this happen!” Vivi sank to her knees, her eyes wide with disbelief, unable to accept the reality before her.

Robin’s next words jolted her back to her senses, “Heh, so this is Alabasta’s strongest warrior? Looks like Captain Buffon will have more trouble because of you.”

“Whose side are you really on?” Vivi asked tentatively, recalling Robin’s departure from the Juventus.

“Come on, your friends—and the boss—are waiting for you. They’re in the iron cage beneath Rain Dinners,” Robin said, unhurried.

Vivi understood she meant the Straw Hats. If Buffon was involved, it was unlikely Crocodile would have managed to imprison him.

Seeing Vivi hesitate, Robin added, “Captain Buffon is a doctor—he won’t help without reason. If you want his aid, at least give him a reason to act!”

Robin’s words lit a spark in Vivi’s mind.

She nodded and rose, following Robin back toward the casino.

As they passed the VIP suite, Robin handed the unconscious Pell over to Buffon.

Buffon inspected Pell’s wounds, glanced at Vivi, and said impassively, “Lay him down. I’ll treat him right away.”

He showed no interest in where the two women were headed; it was likely the underwater chamber beneath the casino.

With that in mind, Buffon said to Saul and Reiju, “Saul, go look for Chopper. Reiju, find your brother Sanji. We might be on the move this afternoon.”

Both trusted Buffon entirely and left without question, leaving Lili to stay by his side.

Buffon asked Lili to close the door, then swiftly activated his Clear-Clear Fruit power. Before Lili turned around, he rendered Pell’s muscles transparent to examine internal fractures.

A single glance told him Pell had over thirty broken bones.

Even Buffon, accustomed to treating the wounded, couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, “In the world of pirates, strength truly knows no gender.”

He began surgery at once, but just then, an idea struck him—Pell’s Devil Fruit and Buffon’s own previous experiments with lineage factor modification. He quickly collected a vial of Pell’s blood.

Meanwhile, the four invited into the VIP passage soon encountered a T-junction, with signs pointing toward “Pirates” and “VIP.”

Without hesitation, Luffy charged down the VIP path.

As a result, the group found themselves locked inside an iron cage. The moment the door shut, the cage began to descend like an elevator.

Frustrated, Luffy grabbed the bars and complained, “Crocodile’s really gone all out with his tricks!”

Soon, he felt a wave of weakness wash over him.

With Luffy cornered, Smoker pinned him to the floor with his Seastone-tipped jitte.

“Straw Hat, if I’m right, this cage is reinforced with Seastone. For Devil Fruit users like us, it’s an insurmountable barrier. Stop struggling and surrender,” Smoker said coldly, cigarette dangling from his lips.

“Now that we’re prisoners, this isn’t the time for infighting. We should focus on escaping!” Nami interjected anxiously.

“Nami’s right—now’s not the time to argue…”